Influenza-related hospitalizations were approximately twice as high among residents of areas where at least 20% of the population lived below the federal poverty level, compared with areas of less poverty, based on data from more than 27 million individuals in the United States.
Census and hospitalization data included 14 states and spanned two flu seasons (2010-2011 and 2011-2012). Overall, the incidence of flu-related hospitalizations was approximately 21 per 100,000 person-years in high-poverty areas, compared with approximately 11 per 100,000 person-years in census areas where less than 5% of the population lived below the poverty level. The data were consistent across all age groups and ethnicities.
Flu vaccination rates were inversely associated with poverty level, ranging from a high of 48% in high-income areas to a low of 35% in areas with the most poverty. This finding, however, was probably caused by lower vaccination rates among adults aged 65 years and older in higher-poverty areas, compared with high-income areas (80% vs. 94%) noted Dr. James L. Hadler of the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn., and colleagues.
“Enhanced influenza outreach to improve influenza vaccination coverage for persons living in poorer neighborhoods and efforts to increase use of antivirals by clinicians serving these neighborhoods could reduce poverty-related disparities in severe influenza outcomes,” the researchers noted.
The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR 2016;65[5]:101-5). Read the full article here.